Award winners at Berwickshire High School 25 years ago.

25 YEARS AGO

A BERWICKSHIRE fisherman miraculously escaped serious injury at the weekend when an explosion ripped through the fishing boat he was working on in St Abbs harbour. Following the blast on Saturday morning, Sandy Crowe (66) of Brierydene, St Abbs, was conveyed by ambulance to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary suffering from burns to his face and hands. It appears there was a leaking gas cylinder within the cabin of the boat and the explosion occurred when Mr Crowe lit a cigarette.

LIBERAL leader David Steel MP formally opened a new fishing factory in Eyemouth this week, announcing that already 11 jobs had been created, with the numbers likely to increase to 20 in the next few weeks. Scots Supreme Food Ltd, officially opened on Tuesday, August 20, to prepare, freeze and package fish brought into the harbour by local fishermen. The project, the brainchild of local businessmen, Alan Jeffries and David Thorburn, is supported by Eyemouth Fishermen’s Mutual Association, who own many of the boats operating from Eyemouth Harbour.

PLANS to alter the Duns junction on the Berwick by-pass will only increase the risks to drivers, objectors claimed at the resumption of a public inquiry into the proposals. Those speaking against the proposals to stop up the controversial junction and re-route traffic from Duns to the roundabout at the Meadow House say they will lead to more accidents. The objectors maintained that the Meadow House roundabout is more ‘accident prone’ than the junction in question.

DAVID Robertson (28), the former British Boys’ and Youths’ champion from Dunbar, was last week fined £5000 and banned from the European circuit for 20 years by the European Committee of the Professional Golfers’ Association. This is the heaviest punishment ever handed out to a British golfer and it comes just a week after the PGA in Britain recommended a life ban for Robertson. The European body ruled that he had improperly placed his ball on the 14th green during qualifying for last month’s Open Championship.

THE Tweeddale Press Group followed a long tradition on Friday by holding their annual staff kettle. It was held at Kelso Rugby Club and even steady rain for much of the afternoon could not dampen the spirits of all the Group’s offices in the Borders and Northumberland who attended with their families. In the morning a football match between the Berwick and Selkirk offices ended with honours shared, after Berwick had led 1-0 for most of the game.

“TORNESS will pose serious health risks to the people of East Lothian and Berwickshire.” This is the claim of an Information Sheet prepared by the Berwickshire Anti-Nuclear Campaign. The Sheet details some of the evidence from many countries which indicates the link between low level radiation and various illnesses, in particular cancer. B.A.N.C have sent a copy of the sheet to every District Councillor in East Lothian and Berwickshire.

THE year 1985 is turning out to be one of the worst seasons for boat angling for many years. Unsettled weather and low sea temperatures seem to be the main reason for the shortage of fish. Anglers are lucky if they get over 10 fish a session when normally they would be catching 20 or 30 at this time of year.

YOUNG Eyemouth golfer Kirsty Thomson was pipped by just one stroke in the recent Border Girls’ Golf Championship in Melrose. Kirsty returned a score of 86 to finish runner up in the Championship behind Carol Wood from Torwoodlee who returned a score of 85. A rose bowl, given by the Border Ladies County Golf Association, was presented to the winner.

BERWICKSHIRE District Council are to object to Borders Regional Council’s recommendations for housing in Duns in the Berwickshire (Part) Local Plan. The District Council want to earmark more land on the outskirts of Duns for private housing. The matter was raised by Councillor Michaelle Burns-Greig who said that Duns Community Council had also agreed to formally object to the Plan.

50 YEARS AGO

BERWICKSHIRE Agricultural Association annual show held in Mainsgate Park, on the Duns Castle Estate, on Saturday started in brilliant weather, but at lunch time there was torrential rain which held up the parade of prize-winning stock, and later in the afternoon a further downpour of rain resulted in the cancellation of part of the gymkhana. The gate was reported to be £70 down on last year.
  
AT PRESENT in Berwickshire there is a considerable programme being carried out in connection with the modernisation of various schools, and the education committee has a five year programme ahead which will bring other schools up to the required modern standards. At Duns work has commenced on the alterations to the primary school. In addition to a new block containing a hall, classrooms, and other accommodation such as headmaster’s room, staff room, medical inspection room, the main primary block is being constructed and remodelled.
  
THE Berwickshire Hunt Branch of the Pony Club ran a week’s camp at the Stables, Ladykirk, by kind permission of Major J M E Askew. The North Northumberland and East Lothian Branches joined it with 26 and 12 members respectively so that the total number of children in camp was 60. Colonel Trotter and Major Askew shared the duty of Camp Commandant. Miss Balfour-Kinnear, Mrs Joicey, Mrs Calder, Mrs Benson, Miss Thomson, Miss Moore and Miss Caroline Douglas Home were the instructors.
 
A SHORTAGE of water delayed firemen from Kelso, Galashiels and Duns when they were called to an outbreak at Gordon Bank farm steading, near Greenlaw on Saturday morning. The water had to be relayed by tender from Todrig, a considerable distance from the fire. As a result of the fire the damage to the steading was considerable but the firemen were successful in saving the greater portion of hay in the steading.
 
AT a meeting of Mid and East Berwick Area Executive Committee of the National Farmers’ Union it was decided to explore the possibilities of pea growing in the Merse of Berwickshire and to try to interest one of the large canning or freezing firms in setting up a factory in the county. It was felt that much of the land was ideally suitable for growing the crop. As such, an industry would provide much needed employment, and help to stem the drift from the country, it was agreed to seek the support of the county council in the matter.
 
CHIRNSIDE United FC’s new ground has been registered as Comrades Park. It is adjacent to the former ground situated to the north of the Crosshill.
 
THE Ayton clock tower is now in such a poor condition that it could be a source of danger to passers-by and at Friday’s meeting of the East District Council it was agreed that a sub committee should meet Berwick County Council representatives to discuss its repair. The county architect estimated a cost of £50 to £75 for the urgent repairs.
  
MISS Audrey Forbes, of Georgefield, Coldstream, was pronounced the most beautiful, most elegant and suitably attired woman at the Berwick Division Conservative Association annual fete when she visited Alnwick Castle. She was the popular winner of the competition which was one of the highlights of the fete, and she paraded before a crowd of nearly 80 in a marquee before the judges, who included the Duchess of Grafton, Miss Susan Collingwood and Lady Lambton.
 
GIVING a report on the position of the new playing field at Ayton, at a meeting of the East District Council on Friday, Mr R Ramsay Turner said that it was felt that there had been much too much land taken in for the playing field. It was agreed that they get someone to cut the grass and also that they approach the tenant to take the part of the field which was not required.

75 YEARS AGO

A LARGE crowd witnessed the swimming gala organised by Eyemouth Town Improvements Committee which was held in the bay on Saturday afternoon. The proceeds of the gala are to be divided between the Royal National Lifeboat Institution and the Town Improvements Fund. On Saturday forenoon a flag day on behalf of the RNLI was held and a satisfactory sum realised. Throughout the gala the motor lifeboats of St Abbs and Dunbar took many visitors for a novel experience, in the form of a sail round the bay. Eyemouth lifeboat was launched and took part in proceedings by giving a display.
  
AN Eyemouth lad had a narrow escape on Tuesday night when he fell overboard while fishing on the motorboat Lindfar about a mile distant from St Abbs shore. The crew were engaged in fishing for mackerel when the boat lurched and he lost his balance. The crew stopped the boat and saw the lad, who was some distance away, pluckily swimming towards her. The sea was choppy, but the lad managed to reach the boat and was pulled to safety. The boy is the son of the skipper, who is also coxswain of the Eyemouth lifeboat.

COLDINGHAM at the present time reminded one of the war years, when the Royal Scots were in camp. At the present time there is a large camp - between 20 and 30 tents - on the Law farm sheltering a very large number of Girl Guides from Cambridge. They are a very clean and tidy company of girls.
  
THIS year’s Chirnside United Football team has several changes to that of last season. In goal last Saturday was Clayton, but he has not proved a success and so has been replaced by Currie.
 
WORK has started on the erection of the first instalment of a new school at Coldingham Road, Eyemouth, by Berwickshire County Council. The building will consist of five classrooms and an assembly room.

THE rain at the beginning of last week did little or nothing to clear the Whitadder of the great accumulation of weeds and filth which gathered during the drought, but heavy showers on Thursday - Friday, and Saturday brought more water from the higher reaches, and improvement is being looked for by anglers. Before the rain there was practically no sport, even with clear water worm, and only a few trout were taken at the dam heads with the dry fly, the August dun and willow midge having done their best.

AN Eyemouth herring boat, Spesbona, has caught four sharks off the north Northumberland coast in the course of a week. The sharks became entangled in the herring nets, which luckily, have not suffered any severe damage.

SYBIL Grey’s Well is a well known landmark on Flodden Field and during recent years has become rather the worse for wear. It was decided that another stone be erected and at present the stone is being dressed by Mr W Tully of Bleford. The block is of the famous Doddington stone, and the lettering is of the old English type. The corners of the stone are done in scroll work, and a cross is carried in the centre. For long the well was identified with a little spring in Flodden Hill, and Louisa, Marchioness of Waterford, about the time when she planted the strip of conifers stretching from the Hill down to the Wooler road, erected a little fountain for visitors, who could drive in a straight line from Ford Castle to Flodden.